Almac has greatly expanded its capacity at its new North American headquarters in Souderton PA by building a 271,000-cubic-foot 2°-8° C cold storage facility.
The need for increased storage space mainly was sparked by a growing demand for biologics in the pharmaceutical industry. Biologics, which are protein-based, require cold storage to prevent degradation, whereas “small-molecule” drugs (non-protein-based) can be stored at room temperature.
Mark Rohlfing, director of quality at Almac, said, “Our current cold storage capacity in Audubon (PA) was limited, hence the 400% increase in capacity. We have also built large cold stores at our other sites in recent years to support this change.” According to a recent pharmaceutical publication, biologic ingredients are set to grow 12% to 15% per year to reach $12 billion by 2011. Industry analysts report that six of the top 10 drugs and half of the top 100 drugs in 2014 will be biologics—an approximate twofold increase from 2008.
Almac’s Audubon facility provides space for 400 pallets in the 2°-8° C range, while the new facility allows for up to 1,600 pallets. Storage for 15°-25° C products also expanded from 4,200 to 6,300 pallet spaces. A 6,131-cu-ft storage unit for products between –25° to –15° C is also available, as well as mobile freezer units for products between –80° to –60° C.
Improvements are also significant in vault storage for Schedule I and II controlled substances. The vault is maintained at 15°-25° C and encompasses 80,000 cubic feet, with enough racking space for 310 pallets. This is an increase from the current 170-pallet space offered in the Audubon facility.
Almac’s new headquarters is at 25 Fretz Road in Souderton. Operations will transfer to this facility in autumn 2010. For more information, visit www.findpharmony.com.
